Why are video games so expensive?

[MrHT]

I'm not complaining so much about the games since $60 has been pretty much the standard price for video games for as long as I remember, but $60 is still not a cheap price tag. But I'm also talking about the prices of video game consoles and accessories, which seem to have gone up substantially.

A PS5 is currently $500 and that's just for the console itself. With additional controllers and games, you will be spending an additional $100+. So you're looking at over $600 just to get started.

When I was a kid and got the SNES, it cost my parents $200, but it came with a second controller and a free game (Super Mario World). You got everything you needed to get started. But today, everything has to be bought separately and at an expensive price tag.

After looking at the prices of video games, I ask myself why I complain about the $10+ on Blu-rays and $100 or so on the players when that's nothing compared to the price tag of video games.

So why are video games/consoles/accessories so damn expensive?